posted by Sam Richards
So Harry Allen has an interesting critique of white racist rants about Kanye West that spread across twitterlandia in the hours (make that minutes) after the tantrum he threw at the VMA ceremony. If you’re not aware of what that means, it’s a yearly gathering of corporate created celebrities (along with a few organically talented artists) who hand out awards to one another so that the corporate owners can more easily entice unsuspecting consumers to shell out more of their hard-earned cash to consume the images-words-songs that very few of those celebrities created in the first place (because their not truly artists). Whatever…
So Mr. West has a moment of psychiatric infamy and the rest is FB and T history.
Back to Harry Allen, who trolls the Web and finds tweet upon tweet of insulting and racist comments about Kanye and asserts that these tweets represent the underbelly of whiteness — public faces of respectability and politeness followed by sudden bursts of racist ranting when one of their/our own (in this case, Taylor Swift) is publicly insulted by persons black or brown.
The tweets are pretty raw and clearly go into the “WTF Are They Thinking?” folder. It’s amazing that white people feel as comfortable as black and brown comedians to attach their name and face (and Twitter ID) to the n-bomb with such gusto and glee. Check out Harry Allen’s blog entry, which you can read here.
Here he goes again; Kanye West and his big mouth. The poor girl, Taylor Swift, just won her first MTV Music award and here comes another artist who steals the spotlight from her. Taking the microphone from her hand and saying how a different artist deserved that award more than the actual winner did. Really Kanye, really? Some think his reason for doing so was because a black female should have won that award. He did this many times before, when he was on national television and he flat out said “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” How can you say that the President of the United States doesn’t care about one race or another?
It’s another one of those sayings, learning to think before you talk. But it seems to me that Kanye West didn’t learn that saying. He has done this type of thing in the past, where he says something ridiculous or hurtful, and then regrets it later on. When he says these things, he is criticized and hated for his actions. Then he gives an apology to rectify his actions and words.
Now Taylor Swift gets to remember her first MTV Video Music Award win with another musician stealing the show. Just to say that another musician deserved it more than her. How harsh is that? And Kanye jumped the gun cause at the end of the show Beyoncé won the “Best Music Video of the Year”, which I think is higher honors than “Best Female Video of the Year.” What if Taylor Swift wasn’t the one to win that award, would Kanye have done that to another white female artist? Kanye said the reason why he did that was because he was drunk. You can’t blame everything on being drunk. He chose to be drunk and now he has to pay for his actions. Why would you show up drunk to the VMA’s in the first place? Next thing you know is when ever any one makes a hurtful comment that person is going to blame it on being drunk, just like Kanye West did. Beyoncé was the champion when she allowed Taylor to come and finish her acceptance speech. This was of course when Beyoncé won the Video of the Year award.
However, the way people reacted to this stint was not so nice either. Having comments that use the n-word or saying that someone should “pop a cap in his ass” is just as bad as what Kanye did. Yes he was drunk, and yes he was speaking his mind, but what is wrong with these people that made them say such hateful things? I don’t understand why some people would go to such great lengths over someone speaking their mind.
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Beyonce is around the age of 30 years old. She received numerous awards from Video Music Awards to the Grammy’s and I do believe that she is well recognized throughout the world. On the other hand, Taylor Swift is a 19 year old girl, who is just making herself known in the music industry and won her first ever Video Music Award and was all smiles and full of joy until the infamous Kanye West ruined that little bit of fame she had. She was on stage getting ready to give the world her thank you speech and she became interrupted but Kanye. Who would have thought? Well she certainly didn’t. What is wrong with him? I mean what was going through Kanye West’s head when he thought it was okay to get up on stage and destroyed that little girl’s hopes and dreams. Every day it is something new with this guy. He first said that the former President did not like “black people “now he is messing with Taylor Swift video saying it was okay but it was not the best. Wow.
The crazy thing about it was that Taylor was on a morning show the next day and she said that when he came up on stage she was very surprised but yet happy. Her first thought was “hey Kanye, your hair looks great, oh my god I cannot believe this happening.” When I first saw that I could not believe it. All I was thinking about was poor little Taylor Swift, she did not deserve that and I still to this day believe that she didn’t deserve what he did to her.
Now I do not agree with what Kanye West did to Taylor but it does not give this person by the name of Harry Allen the right to go on and say that Kanye was a “nigger” that was downright ignorant and racist. What in the world gives him the right to think he can call someone a name? What makes him think that he is better than Kanye in any situation? People these days have their priorities mixed up and scrambled into a ball. Now since then Kanye has apologies to Taylor about his rude behavior and even said that he only did it because he was drunk now I am not saying that apology made everything right but now I do believe Mr. Allen needs to say his apology to Kanye West. Will the world ever change the way they view things and the way they put their opinions out to the world. Can we get these people to take a class on behavior: What not or to do in a situation like the one Kanye West put himself into during the VMA’s. Now he will forever be looked at differently not only by white people but also by black people.
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After watching the incident involving Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the VMAs, I cannot help but wonder what was going through Kanye’s mind. It takes guts to go up there, take someone else’s moment and actually ruin it. Although there is A LOT of controversy about what occurred, I believe that this in no way relates back to Kanye being black and Taylor Swift being white. In my discussion group this week, we covered this topic and many people came to the same consensus as me. The media can skew what really happens and make it seem like this is an act of racism and stereotyping. Yes, Kanye is black, but what he did in my opinion, has nothing to do with the color of his skin. In the past, Kanye has been known to scuffle of some drama and make a scene so this was normal for him to do this. While some people could have the stereotype that African Americans are loud and instigate fights, it truly did not cross my mind that this was why Kanye did what he did. On the other hand, for people who are not aware of the type of person Kanye is, I could see how they believe that Kanye was siding with blacks and condemning whites, Taylor Swift. Kanye screamed on staged that Beyonce should have won the best video award. People probably assumed that because Beyonce is also African American, that is why he spoke up. I believe that Kanye might have done this solely because he thought Beyonce’s video was truly better. Kanye had absolutely NO right to get up on stage and embarrass the heck out of Taylor. In the end, Kanye looks like such a bad guy and to some people, even a racist.
Now on to the comments made on Twitter. Yes, you can express how you feel about Kanye’s actions, but going as far as what people have said is ridiculous. These people making the comments are actually being hypocritical. The only reason they are writing on twitter is to say how racist and harsh he was. Then, the same people do the exact same thing and drop the N word about Kayne. Talk about being racist. People need some self control and need realize that some things should be left unsaid. The situation is not being made any better, its actually making it worse when people write these malicious things on twitter. The media and society needs to stop associating everything with racism. I feel that people now unconsciously and instantly put the blame on skin color even if it is out of the question. So Kanye made a huge mistake. Has anyone ever thought he is just a mean guy and not actually a racist?
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Last summer I went to a Kanye West concert and I thought it was so much fun and he put on such a good show. He dedicated a song to his mama and it was very apparent that he was sympathetic however after hearing many things kanye has said in the media and after watching videos I will never again spend 1 dollar on him. I am a huge advocate for respect and appreciation, and I can honestly say I think kanye west is the most disrespectful person I have seen in a long time. Who in their right mind walks up on stage while someone is giving their speech and takes the microphone out of their hand and then blatantly disrespects them in from of the entire world. When I saw this I thought to myself “Wow he is the biggest piece of shit in the world”. First of all he just wanted to get publicity but he got much negative publicity and second of all Taylor Swift deserved that award and she is also such a sweet and kind girl the exact opposite of kanye. I was not surprised to see so many people call Kanye a nigger because he clearly is racist against white people and that move he pulled was just another reason for people to lash out and call him a nigger. He said before that “Bush hates black people” and that he would rather be broke than for white people to come to his concerts. If both of those comments are not racist than I don’t know what is. The VMA act really pissed me off and I hope Kanye West does not sell another album because he does not deserve to be rich. All he does is run his mouth, bash white people, and disrespect hardworking kind people. Everyone single one of my friends were outraged with his comments and no matter how much he apologizes and says he’s sorry he clearly knew what he was doing and not only that but I cant see one person that thought what he did was acceptable. I lost all respect for this man and I could go on all day talking about how much of a sellout he is and how he is an ignorant piece of shit. I understand he apologized but that was Taylor’s first award and he had to ruin it by doing that stunt. The only person I gained respect for was Beyonce because she apologized and called Taylor back out on stage to let her finish her speech. Now that is a stand up act and Kanye’s rude ass could learn a few things rather that being an ignorant, conceited, and disrespectful person.
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The “Real Haters” or old school critique?
This, to me, was inexplicable, but not unbelievable. Everyone in the world knows that someone out of the millions of Americans would say something like this. Not to say that that anywhere close to the majority of America would even think this. With the vast majority of the population having access to a computer and the internet, about two thirds of them would be computer savvy enough to navigate to and create a twitter account. And yet with such a large population, we seem to only see around 100 recounts of this complete and utter racism.
It’s ironic that klarson5150 says, “kanye west is a fuc*ing N*****! its guys like him that make you ALL look bad!”
Is it that people don’t realize that if they put something on twitter the whole world is open to read it. Maybe it is understood and that is the new way of talking bad about people, not necessarily behind their back. I would think that people would learn from the sports incidents with twittering. Even some other celebrities posted comments on twitter showing their opinion pertaining to the Kanye incident. Even Obama himself laid down a comment to Kanye. Has this country become so free that everyone needs to have their opinion shown and posted in writing? Is this evolution of society beneficial to the direction were headed? Obviously the racist comments, made towards Kanye, only draw the emotion of detest and anger.
As Sam said in the article, it is quite extraordinary that people feel that confident when using the N-word to the public. It may be that people have become desensitized by the over abundant use of the word, or perhaps it is still reserved for certain use, but certain extremists use it excessively and get attention for it.
This also brings out another thought of twittering. With all of these available social networking sites we find ways of saying the things we need to be said, and necessarily to any particular person. This could be an explanation behind provocative thoughts being given a target. With all these blogs and social networking sites, its a world of hiding behind an anonymous pseudonym. As we know that people won’t see us in person, we feel less to hold us back from saying some cruel and hurtful things. Instead of making a small joke, we will try to humiliate the subject.
How is it that people are twittering about an event that was nothing more than an interruption, especially when all around the sports industry players are getting off easy from the American justice system. But thats not quite the point of this article. Either way, no matter how you look at it, Kanye who was first looked at as the bad guy after the Taylor Swift episode, now is the victim.
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I, personal do not think that the Kanye west and Tyler Swifts issue hit the main stream like it should have, because if it were vise verse it would have hit headline news for a year. What I mean, For example, I think that if the issue was versed we would have had a different outcome. Alright, let’s just imagine something, okay? Lets image that we are at the MTV’s music awards or whatever awards and Beyonce or let’s just say TLC wins an award for best looks. Okay, but now a big shot country singer like Toby Keith gets on stages drunk as shit and starts yelling Beyonce /TLC “you” didn’t have the best looks, Tyler Swift had the best looks, what would have happened? Well I can tell you what would have happened, the country man would be considered to be racist, and that’s how this society works. It would have been all over Television that big country redneck Toby Keith humilities black girl on stage and so on and so on until the next big event.
Was It right for Kanye west to do what he did absolutely… not, he’s racist, a drunk and was completely out line for what he did. He needs someone to knock him down a peg or two. However, that’s beside the point, also the message on twitter (which is a very dumb website and I know nothing about) were out of line always and just stirred up more issues and problems to take care of. Even though the black man (West) acted like a fool there was no reason for white person (twitter fan) to retaliate and make racist impropriate comments.
Henry Allan’s websites picks out all the racist and downgrading messages thrown at Kanye about his comment. Yes, what Kanye said and did was wrong bit for young adults and more shockingly females to be throwing the N-word around like that, it’s crazy. Also, the comment about lynching and the KKK… was crazy because you know if any of these people came in contact with a Kanye or any black man the tables would be turned and their mouths would be shut. If people had such a problem with the issue (Kanye and Tyler) they should make their messages more educated and understanding that doesn’t demoralize ones race.
The only real issue that I do have with this topic is that if the scenario was turned around, twitter would have been filled with comments about how white people suck and how whites are racists. Furthermore, my only other question I have is, how come I hear the “N”-word coming from the black man’s mouth, through music and movies, if blacks can say it freely why can’t I… is it some kind of joke, because I don’t understand it.
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On the night of the VMA awards, I wasn’t planning on watching it. I’m not normally into the VMA’s and MTV award shows. However, while I was on Facebook, I kept seeing my friends’ statuses change almost every two minutes because of what was going on. Soon enough, I see statuses that look like “OMG Kanye that was so rude!” or “LOL. Kanye was out of pocket!” Seeing those statuses, I wanted to know what exactly Kanye did (or didn’t) do. When I turned on the TV, I still didn’t get my answer, so I decided to youtube it. Once I saw the video and what he did to Taylor Swift, the feeling that came to mind was one of inconsideration on Kanye’s part. I felt that he was completely inconsiderate of her feelings at the time that he made up in his mind to get up on stage and interrupt her like that. I felt embarrassed for her; she was probably embarrassed herself. Honestly, when I first saw the clip, I thought Kanye was going to do something good for/to her; maybe surprise her with something. Well, he surprised her alright, but not with anything good.
I didn’t take into consideration that he was black; all that mattered was that he interrupted someone else during their acceptance speech, and that was very rude. The people who wrote those vulgar statements about Kanye on twitter are just as rude and inconsiderate as his action was; using the N-word was strictly uncalled for. Just because someone doesn’t an inconsiderate action doesn’t give you the right to lash out and verbally degrade them. It just so happened to be that Kanye is black; some people want to use that as a catalyst to bring up the race card, and Obama, and random things like that. I don’t think this has anything to do with race, but because America loves drama so much, we have no choice but to escalate this further into a race issue. However, if we want to go there then let’s go there; I do not think people would’ve responded with racist comments like that if the guy who interrupted her was white. They probably would’ve said that he was rude, but they would not have called him any white, racist names. Let’s not add fuel to the fire here people (like the “Presidential Beer Summit). If it was not for the rude, ignorant comments of the public towards him, this would not be turning into a race issue. This is really unnecessary and it is getting completely blown out of proportion. It’s not the fact that he’s black that is the matter; it is his actions as a human being in general.
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I couldn’t help but grimace as I read through the overflowing examples of angry twitter posts Harry Allen posted on his blog about Kanye West’s unnecessarily rude outburst at the VMA’s. Kanye’s actions were childish and uncalled for and one can’t help but get extra riled up and upset after witnessing a poor, powerless, Taylor Swift on stage in utter astonishment that night. However, I don’t think what happened that night had anything to do with race. It was unfortunate that the antagonist in this situation was black, rooting for the other singer, coincidentally also black, while “dissing” our protagonist in this “story”, Taylor Swift, our sweet, defenseless white girl. When I saw the incident go down on TV that night, I painfully watched a very drunk Kanye flush his career down the toilet as he interrupted Swift, but the color of their skin never crossed my mind. I didn’t think this was an issue of race for one second. Perhaps this is me just being naive? But I have to ask myself and the millions outraged at this “nigger’s” actions. What if Kanye was in fact not Kanye at all but instead a clean, white boy, like the universally loved John Mayer. Let’s pretend Beyonce had won and Taylor Swift was unexpectedly sitting in the audience, in this scenario. What if John Mayer went up on stage and interrupted Beyonce, and insisted that Taylor Swift had “the best video of all time.” Would anybody have considered this outburst to have been an issue over race? …Well I guess maybe it still would have been. But in this case, the colored people would leave enraged twitter posts about John Mayer being a racist. So John Mayer would be considered a racist, Kanye is just a bitter “nigger”. Really? When I think about the fight for and between races and the centuries it’s been going on, I’m surprised that we have yet to get past it, however when you look at where we are in history (Our FIRST black president in the year 2008?) it really isn’t that surprising at all. Kanye disrespects a fellow singer who happens to be white, and the white’s are fuming, Kanye’s a nigger, and it seems we have reverted back to a time of slavery and racism when there was a constant fight between the blacks vs. whites. Why didn’t anybody just see this as a very drunk man getting on stage and making a fool out of himself? There are thousands of State College students making fools out of themselves every weekend. Kanye West was clearly just a drunk man, very famous drunk man, not fazed by what is acceptable and what is not. (Who is when you’re that rich and famous? A better question yet, whose aware of acceptable behavior when you’re simply drunk regardless of being powerful or not)
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Wow do I despise Taylor Swift’s music, but that does not come close to how disgusted I feel after reading these Twitter posts. Just knowing that there are people out there who are not afraid to talk like that is scary. It makes a sane person reading those posts feel as if there is no hope for the human race, not as long as there are people as ignorant as that out there.
Clearly Kanye screwed up by making this scene at the VMA’s. What he did was rude and will not be forgotten. Later in the future he will probably be able to see the consequences as far as his success is concerned. Having said that, of course there is going to be public criticism from the media, Taylor Swift fans, etc., but to take the criticisms to these extremes is diabolical and uncalled for.
Not to mention, from a different perspective, there are many people out there who agreed with Kanye, well his claim anyway. All he was doing was stating his opinion in that Beyonce had the better music video and should have beaten out Taylor Swift for the award (which I too agree). Whatever happened to freedom of speech? According to our Constitution, Kanye was only utilizing his right to say what he believed in. That does not exactly sound like a “dumb, uneducated nigger” to me. Almost no one has ever done anything so terrible that they deserved to be criticized like that. So he ran on stage and spoke for like 7 seconds; does that earn him the title of a “backwoods nigger who needs to be lynched by the KKK?” Of course it doesn’t. While I am still not excusing the rudeness of Kanye’s actions, did he not apologize afterward? Even on stage, did he not explain to Taylor that her video was good as well? While he was being what society, and myself, deem rude, he also did it politely.
So sure, I am certain Taylor was a little upset by the whole incident, but she still won the award, so why are people so angry over everything. Mainly, the people who posted these Twitter comments were most likely Taylor Swift fans, people who idolize Taylor Swift as a role-model. If that’s the case however, and these people truly believe in Taylor, then why were such harsh posts even made in the first place. I did not hear of Taylor making comments such as these or leaving Twitter posts as ill-mannered as these. Taylor should have been the angriest out of anybody, but she did what a normal human being should do and kept her cool, because the people who don’t stay calm are the true idiots.
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As I was sitting in my Nittany Apartment living room eating popcorn and watching the Video Music Awards with my roommates the LAST thing that I thought was going to happen was Kanye’s outburst. I always thought of him as classy and a genuine person but after that I am not sure what to think anymore. Although I think he acted in an idiotic way and was very rude, I do not believe his actions to be racist. I would have never even had that thought in my head until it was brought up in my discussion group during one of our classes. In all honesty I think he was just drunk and acting ridiculous. We discussed what would have happened if the tables were turned and Kanye was white and Taylor Swift was black, and many of the discussion members agreed that it would more than likely be looked at as a racial issue.
Another factor in this issue that we discussed was the media’s role in the entire situation. The way that it happened, the media portrayed Kanye as an absolute idiot, which is true, but in no way did they ever make the front-page stories say that he was racist. So in turn, not many people looked at the situation as racist. But, I feel that if the tables were turned how we discussed in our groups, the media most definitely would have made the situation look to be a racist one. They would have done what they normally do and emphasize skin color more and make the situation a much bigger deal than it really should have been made out to be. I personally think it is kind of scary how much the media affects our day-to-day lives. We base so many choices and decisions on what they say and how they tell us to feel and I believe we are truly starting to become desensitized to many situations. The media has such an influence on us, it’s absurd. I would be being hypocritical if I said they do not impact me but I really wish things would start to change. I try to not even watch the news anymore because I feel that they portray things to the extremes and so wrong most of the time.
All in all, I do not believe the situation was at all racist towards Taylor Swift, I just think that Kanye is an idiot who thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread and thought that everyone would agree with him. He was so wrong. Even so, I do not think that anyone should be making any sort of racist comments about him for any reason, or against anyone for that matter. People have a complete right to be pissed at what he did, but they should leave it at that and stop crossing the “race line” so much and pulling the “race card.” It gets old after awhile.
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First of all what Kanye West did was wrong and disrespectful, no matter who would of done it, white, black, yellow, red, green. Obviously since Kanye West is black, the whole racist card was thrown about and turned everything around and made it all about race. It was all blown out of proportion, if a white guy got on stage and said the same thing then it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. Another key point is that because Kayne was defending Beyonce, she is black. If he was defending Pink or some other white artist then it wouldn’t of been a big deal either. It was very classy and helped out the race situation when Beyonce later won an award and asked Taylor Swift to come back up on stage and present her thank yous since she did not get too before because of what Kanye did. It was good of Kanye too later apologize for his actions and it has been said that Kanye was supposed to have been seen drinking vodka before the incident occurred. When I saw it happen live my jaw dropped and I looked at my friend and asked her if that really just happened, just like how Beyonce could not believe it either. Kanye deserved all the boos that he received from the crowd after the incident occurred and each time his name was mentioned throughout the rest of the show. I felt real bad for Taylor, especially it being her first VMA award ever and already being nervous to go on stage and then having to perform right after the incident happened. Yes I was mad about what Kanye said and did, but not because he was black, it could of been anyone and I still would of been mad and not because Taylor is white, it could have been any. What he did was just so disrespectful and embarrassing and uncalled for. That was his own opinion and he should of kept it too himself like everyone else did, you didn’t see tens of people all go on stage and protest that Taylor shouldn’t have one and that Beyonce had the best video ever. The media and news are always the cause of celebrity incidents blowing everything out of proportion to get the best headlines that everyone wants too hear which is what exactly happened with this. Kanye has always had a big head and thinks hes God on earth and he actually has made racist comments about white people before. I kind of hope that it effects the rest of his career. Yeah he has made some good songs but hes not amazing as he thinks. I kind of hope that his next CD flops and that Taylor keeps winning more and more awards. In the end of the day Taylor went home with a moon man and Kanye West went home empty handed, except for his vodka-redbull, after he had 4 nominations.
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After Kanye West’s outburst at the VMAs, there was an abundance of posts on Twitter and Facebook complaining about what he did. No one liked it, and most insulted him for it. However, many of these comments with blatantly racist. A lot of them referenced the fact that he was black, some called him a nigger, and a few of them even accused Kanye of being a racist. This is a little shocking, considering a decent amount of these racist comments came from white people, and it’s shocking that these people felt comfortable associating their name and race with these remarks.
After thinking about these comments, I have a few feelings regarding how appropriate they are. Obviously, what Kanye did was wrong, and I have nothing against all the people that publicly disagree with his actions. I feel that bringing race into it was wrong, but at the same time I disagree with what Harry Allen said about how racist these remarks really were.
The word nigger is a derogatory way to refer to black people. It generally reflects that they did something wrong, as Kanye did in this situation. When all these people say nigger, they are basically saying Kanye’s actions fit with the circumstances necessary to say that word. Racism would be to call him a nigger because he is black. This is people calling him a nigger because he did something bad. In one example Harry Allen gave, a girl even said that white people could be niggers too. So basically, while I feel using the word nigger may be a bad word choice, it has more to do with his actions, as opposed to race. Nigger just happens to have all of these negative connotations with it, and if black people want these to disappear with time, they need to stop committing actions like this one. I understand that white people do the same kind of stuff, and it’s unfortunate that black people get more attention for it, but it’s a necessary part of breaking the stereotype.
I don’t think there’s anything really bad about calling Kanye a racist here. While I highly doubt he is, I see where people are coming from. He put down a white woman, and supported a fellow black woman, so if people really feel he is racist for that, then by all means, write it down. Calling someone a racist is a lot different than using the word nigger, and I don’t think there should be any negative feelings to the people who did call him a racist.
Finally, many people called Kanye black in their posts and tweets. Obviously, it’s a true statement, but the way most people said it makes it seem like because he’s black, it’s even worse. This is very similar to the way they said nigger, and although it’s not as bad, is cause by the same thing. Hopefully, it will go away with time.
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I would like to start by talking about the issue with Kanye West. He was actually one of my favorite artists to listen to when he first came out with the College Dropout album. So hearing about what he did at the VMAs made me pretty upset with him. Absolutely no one has the right to insult and embarrass someone like he did. It is just a matter of respect for other human beings of course. No one deserves this treatment no matter their skin color. Now on the other hand, the comments left by all those white people on twitter was just embarrassing to me, as a fellow white person. That is a really good way to get killed I would say. You may as well put your damn address and telephone number next to your name and picture. I cannot believe that they reveal even that much about themselves and like Sam said, feel so comfortable to drop the n-bomb. Now I assume that all these white people are southern whites who listen to country (Taylor Swift) and racism may just be a part of their culture already (from parents and peers) so it is hard to take people seriously when they are all saying the same thing and they are all part of the same ethnic group. That is practically only one opinion to me.
Now my discussion group had a very good discussion about an article that I brought in from a magazine I found in the HUB. It was an article about a study as to whether or not your baby is racist or not. They asked kids 5-7 years old questions like “Black people are ______” (filled in the blank with several different things like nice, mean, ugly, etc.), and then said the same with white people. And it was very disturbing to see that the white kids actually said bad stuff about black people and they are only 5-7 years old!! However, when were asked to talk about race issues with their children many of them dropped out of the study because they claimed they did not know what to say to their kids. The parents who did talk to their kids like they were asked improved greatly during the next series of testing. This just goes to show how much the media can shape a child’s mind at such a young age. I think it is especially important nowadays to talk to your children about anything the media can damage them with. The media these days is just so harsh on young kids I can see how something as simple as black and white skin could have such an impact on a child’s life.
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Kanye’s actions at the recent Video Music Awards were shocking. His words were cruel and certainly unnecessary. However, in my eyes they were in no way racist. People are taking things too far and blowing things out of proportion by saying his words were racist. People may think whatever they want of him, and they may think that as a whole, he is racist, but his words to Taylor Swift were not.
At the Video Music Awards Taylor Swift was first nominated, and then won for best female music video. In this category she was running against several other talented and more experienced female artists. Some of them included, Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, and of course, Beyonce. While all of these artists are incredibly talented and all had an equal chance to win, Taylor was the winner in the end. But was she really? After being awarded and beginning her speech Kanye West rudely interrupted her. It was as if she was being robbed of her glory and fame. He took the microphone from her and said, “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time.” The second after he finished the audience, including Beyonce was in shock. Taylor of course, was the most shocked. No one could understand why he would do this to a girl who portrays herself in such a positive manner. This newly arising, talented artist was put in a position she never expected to be in. Something she would never expect happened and her face showed this. She did not even have time to think of what to say, and she left the stage.
We can all agree that this was such an intentional outburst from Kanye West that should have never been done. But is it racist? My response would be absolutely no. Racist was the last adjective that popped into my head when describing Kanye. Rude, inappropriate, and evil are the words that did think of. Kanye’s outburst was not racist. Yes, he did say that Beyonce, a black female, deserved the award over Taylor Swift, a white female, but this says nothing. In life it seems that most people of the same race, religion, etc. seem to relate better and come together. So this can easily be the case in this situation. Kanye may be more attracted to Beyonce and therefore he is biased. Why is he more attracted to her? Maybe her race, religion, or beliefs, or maybe it is simply her talent. In either case, racism is not involved! Something like this shows how differently various people can portray a situation.
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Well in response to the “Real Haters” or Old School Critique piece I would like to say that many people blew the Kanye West situation way out of proportion and were just dead wrong in their response. First off Kanye is a retard and there is absolutely no way to get around that. This wasn’t even the most serious of award shows and he just felt the certain urge to make a big deal out of it. He did have a valid point because Beyonce’s video was a better video, but if he would’ve held his tongue and acted like a professional or a decent spectator he would’ve seen that she took home the better award. This of course damages his overall reputation and will make him even more disliked in the public eye and it seems everything worked out in the end.
Now people and their twitter pages seem to have gotten out of hand. I think Kanye has done a wrong and created a media circus, but that doesn’t give the right to call him the n bomb. From the twitter page that was shown on the blog it would seem that that guys issue is not just with Kanye West but black people as a whole. It seems that even after all this time and after the Civil Rights movement racism is still there and as strong as ever. It just seems not to be as liberal as it once was. People just hold it back and mask it and maybe it is getting more liberal because people have been making racist remarks in the media.
All in all this hurts me a lot, I was hoping that we were taking steps as a world to improvements on racism but it feels like the cycle is never ending. Sometimes it feels that no individual or group are making steps towards improvement, but rather picking up their swords and pointing them at another group constantly blaming them for the situation that their in and why the world is the way it is right now. For me I just hope there are no subconscious thought in my mind of hatred towards another race of people. I pray that I threw away my sword a long time ago and hopefully I can put my shield down around a group that I fully do not understand. Because all in all I am very curious to learn from different types of people, what trades of knowledge and culture we can provide one another, and the more I can incorporate different lifestyles into that of my own. But obviously we still got a long way to considering people are open to publishing how they feel that a race outside there own our inferior.
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The current trend of bold racial statements being produced by individuals online has always vexed and interested me. How is it that these people feel so comfortable in making such outright harsh and extreme racial statements when I would guess that probably a quarter of them, if that, would make the same statement about the person or group they mean to offend face to face. Does the lack of a real confrontation and interaction with the individual really enable the offender to be that much more offensive? I guess the best way to explain it would be that in real life confrontations they hold these intense feelings in while viewing the internet as an outlet and a mechanism to vent these strong emotions. But what factor enables this change? Is it because of an outside influence of what other people will think of you if you were to sling these offensive statements in a public setting? Because on the internet it is only your friends list that will see what you say, or at least that’s what you think/perceive. Personally I seldom use racial slurs or make offensive statements towards other groups of people especially over the internet, and if I am to make a statement of that nature, it is more likely to be within my own circle of family members or friends, not blasted on the net for the world to see, which is part of the reason why I am so perplexed as to why people make these statements on their personal pages. I wonder if they would feel embarrassed if they realized that their comments were copied and reproduced on the blog in the original article. It seems there is evidence in the notion that the lack of recognition of who you are as an individual lowers the censorship of your statements online when we compare say twitter and youtube. On youtube I am convinced that people search criteria to fuel their hate such as “white guy beats up black man”, which is the second suggested search after you type “white guy beats.” I don’t feel it is necessary to go into detail but the comments entail a slew of battering racial groups going back and forth denouncing one another. It irks me that people can hide behind their username and make such offensive comments, but more so that they actually feel and think this way. I use to respond to some of the statements that offended me personally, not in an aggressive style going after another racial group, but to try and enlighten and show that their perceptions are wrong. I’ve realized however that it is futile to respond to these people on the internet because they are set in their ways with such hate and in no way is an internet comment going to change that.
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It is truly amazing how much public interest Kanye West has garnered from his MTV Video Music Awards episode. I was shocked that anyone, regardless of race or gender, could publicly display such poor ethics. I have almost come to expect poor manners like this from Mr. West, who is known for making outrageous public comments. This is the same man that decreed that George Bush hates black people, and said he would not play one of his concerts if there were not enough black people there. I personally believe that at this point, Kanye West is continuing to make these comments for the attention that they attract. It really is a shame because Kanye West is a talented musician, but he will undoubtedly lose fans due to his ridiculous acts of display.
I think society just perturbs the ridiculousness of people like Kanye West. If people didn’t make such a big deal about instances such as Mr. West’s acts towards Taylor Swift, then he would most likely cease to act in that manner. Kanye West is a delusional celebrity that will seemingly do anything to get his name in headlines, even if that involves completely sacrificing his public image. Kanye West frequently brags about the fact that he dropped out of college. He is clearly an uneducated person who has some serious issues. That being said, why should we fuel his fire? There are much more pressing issues in this world than a celebrity insulting another celebrity, and more media outlets should be allocated to covering those problems. Instead of hearing about what Kanye West does next, I’d be slightly more interested in hearing about the developing situations in Iran and Afghanistan.
I am under the impression that if Kanye West is going to go on national television and make a fool of himself like he did, almost any response that arises is completely warranted. Any attack on black people in general is unfair, because Kanye West is obviously an extremist and represents a small percentage of all black people. However, anything short of calling Kanye West a nigger or any other derogatory remark is what he deserves. If a man is willing to publicly humiliate himself on a grand stage just to create a response, he is fair game for any criticism in my books.
I could not reinforce my feelings enough that any public reaction to Kanye West and antics of the sort are unnecessary. People have voiced their opinions on the actions of Kanye West, and those responses have sparked a new generation of responses. Critics such as Harry Allen are now analyzing people’s Twitter and Facebook feedback. We, as a society, could easily erase all of these problems by not caring in the first place.
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Wow! I can’t believe what I read on Harry Allen’s blog, I find it completely disgusting and pure ignorance! How can people be so cruel with words? I understand that Kanye West was rude for taking the mic from Taylor Swift and voicing his opinion, because it was her moment to shine. But for bloggers to just throw the n-bomb all over the internet is just and even ruder than what Kanye did. I was on Facebook that night also, but I didn’t notice my friends throwing the n-bomb around like those on Twitter. On another note, Kanye did apologize afterwards, even though there were speculations about it because he said he was drunk during the VMAs; he still apologized. There wasn’t a need for people to talk about him like that. Call him any name, but it gets offensive when racial terms are used.
I also find it ironic that if a white person was to say that word personally to a black person, they would know what would happen. Therefore, I don’t think they have the courage themselves to say it in person so they chose to say it online, which, I think is kind of shabby to do. I don’t think that Kanye meant it in any way to be racist towards Taylor. He was just voicing his opinion and standing up for Beyonce. Kayne loves Beyonce, she’s like his sister, so of course he supported her and wanted her to win. In vice versa, if it was an African-American artist that won that award, he would still feel the need to announce that Beyonce should have won. In addition, since he claimed that he was drunk, the past might have affected his emotions too because he doesn’t think the VMAs nominations and winners are right. In another video I have watched, Kanye had a blowout, he was mad and had said that the VMAs is a scam because he couldn’t believe he lost to The Black Eyed Peas the previous year.
Overall, I think this is outrageous in every way. Even if this incident didn’t happen, it shows that racism has gone over the top. No one, I mean no one, deserves to be called any racial names. Take it as, to get respect, you have to give respect. Respect Kanye as an artist and he just stood up for what he believed. There wasn’t a need to call him a N*****. Reading all the other posts on the blog was nauseating, that I had to stop, I wanted to read the rest, but I just couldn’t. In my opinion, if you don’t have the nerve to say it in person, don’t say or even post it online. It just shows to prove how low a person would go.
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The comments that were tweeted on everyone’s tweeter were ridiculous and racist. Even though twitter is a social network that allows people to express their opinions freely there was no need to drop the n-word the tweets.
In my opinion, I do not think Kanye West called Taylor Swift out because he was racist or anything, but he just wanted to express his opinion. The way Kanye displayed his opinion was not right way to deliberate it, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to call him out with the n-word. I think people put too much emphasis on the MTV situation. Why does everyone have to react with race whenever something happens to their race when another race does something to them. Most of the time people do not act because of race, but just react to their surrounding.
Just like President Obama said “ he’s jackass.” It was inappropriate for him to steal the microphone while Taylor was accepting her award. He even explained that he was drunk. I know that even though he was drunk it doesn’t give him the right to do that. It was childish of him to do that and real publicity stunt. People think just because Beyonce is black, just like Kanye, that Kanye thought her song was better than Taylor Swift’s song. I’m pretty sure race did not have anything to do with it but just that Kanye preferred Beyonce’s song over Taylor’s. His actions were just plain rude and childish. He disappointed his fans and all those people that looked up to him as a role model.
Whenever comments like those that were displayed on Harry Allen’s blog about Kanye being a “n’”, it seems like we are moving two steps back from eliminating racism. We put too much emphasis on the power of these words that it affects us emotionally. If we constantly used it and used it loosely maybe it wouldn’t have as much affect on people as it does now.
What would their children say when they look at these tweets and blogs about Kanye and their reactions? Because of what Kanye did, does it justify those who call him the n word to use that word and in that sense? We cannot be blind to color, but we should not attack it. We need to accept that we have different colored skins, but just like Sam said we all have 99.9% of the same biological factors. We all have eyes, nose, muscle, heart, lungs, and a brain.. We should learn how to use our minds wisely and efficiently to grow as a society and as a human race. When will it be when race is not a factor?
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In the case of Kanye West and Taylor Swift, racism is not part of the controversy. I watched this part of the VMAs that night and was very surprised by what Kanye did and felt bad for Taylor because she is an up and coming artist with her first tour this year. It must have been hard to have someone say you don’t deserve the award in front of everyone watching there and on TV. However, I never thought, wow, Kanye is so racist and I still don’t. This is a question of who had a better music video, not sticking up for your own race. Clearly, Beyonce’s video had fantastic choreography and skimpy outfits that Kayne might have enjoyed more than Taylor’s video about high school romance. Single Ladies was more up beat while Taylor sings country. I can see why Kanye might have thought Beyonce had the best video but he should have kept his mouth shut.
However, this event has nothing to do with racism. It is surprising that people are taking in that way. Kayne is not sticking up for his fellow blacks. He just thought Beyonce had more talent. The fact is, both girls are talented and there is no racism involved.
I think it is sad how every time a black person offends a white person or vice versa, people take that as racism. People need to look at the whole event and determine whether it was a racist gesture at all. If people categorized less and realized people are just people and sometimes blacks will like other blacks more than whites but not necessarily based on race, maybe it is based on something else. Obviously in this case it was.
One way that racism will be minimized is if people stop looking at these small events that aren’t that serious. Obviously there was no racial slander so why does this event need to be looked at as racist in any sense. It boggles my mind. If people stopped questioning racism as much as they do, maybe the issue would be smaller. If the more serious things like the KKK were controlled and criticized, we’d be taking a step in the right direction to end racism.
I think people just need to look at people at people, don’t doubt people as much as they do as far as racism goes and only criticize the events where racism slander or hate crimes are present as racist events. We live in a beautiful integrated world. But it is not integrated until people step off their toes and onto their feet and trust that we are not in a race war as much as we think. Kanye has a right to think Beyonce has a more talented video than Taylor without being criticized as a racist.
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Let me just first say whether he is white, black, brown, red, purple or orange, Kanye West was wrong! It is never ok for someone to interrupt someone else while they are having their moment of glory. It may be a very trivial part of life or some may say just a popularity test but that is beside the point Taylor Swift won the award and had the right to have her time to speak. So yes I understand why people were outraged by his actions. The problem arose when people began insulting Kanye by using racist slurs and racist comments in order to insult him. Well my mom taught me two wrongs don’t make a right so I am not sure why anyone really said anything at all but what I really don’t understand is why they thought bringing his race into the equation was necessary in any way. Especially when people decide to use derogatory terms such as the n-word. Or saying for him to go back to “the slime pool he crawled out of” now people are not only offending him but they are also offending and entire race not to mention area in which people live. What surprises me is that there were so many tweets and things of that nature that were racist. The reason is because if the people who tweeted these comments were watching the show they were most likely watching it because they like music. There are many, many other black people in music and I wouldn’t be surprised if they people saying these racist comments would consider themselves fans of these people. And I would say that many of these people wouldn’t consider themselves racist either. So when the show started they were not racist but by the time the show was over they were twittering racist comments. How is it possible to change so dramatically in less than two hours? How often are white people really doing this, how often do they so quickly from being open to all kinds of people to say racist things that are so inappropriate no matter how bad the person is or how bad what they had said was. In my house hold the N word was never and will never be an acceptable word to use. So the fact that people especially white people think that it is ok to use the n word especially when they are trying to insult someone is ludicrous. Until class a couple weeks ago I would say that nobody should use negative words like the N word even if they are the minority that, that word describes. Then one day Sam said I think everyone should beat those words into the ground to the point that they have no meaning at all. In a similar way that words that used to be considered “bad” are not considered bad words at all today. I just can’t believe that people truly believe it is ok to “reprimand” for lack of a better word, someone by using racist slurs.
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I have always known that the rapper Kanye West is a cocky guy who is not afraid to speak his mind in his songs. He is a very talented artist who is loved throughout the rap community for his clever lines and catchy songs. This being said, I still think that what he did to Taylor Swift was uncalled for and classless. Though the racist outcries that could be found all over twitter and Facebook on that evening of the MTV Music Video Awards were just as uncalled for and classless. I understand why the Taylor Swift fans were upset at what West did, but they did not need to resort to racial slurs and bigotry remarks to express their anger.
The fact that West is a black man does not correlate as to why he demonstrated such a rude behavior on the night of the awards. After all, Beyonce Knowles is a black person as well and she showed how much of a class act she is later on in the award show when she courteously allowed Swift to come back on stage and finish her previously interrupted speech. West also posted an apology on his blog stating that we was sorry to Swift and her fans, amongst others, but who knows if it was just at the request of his agent or if it was truly sincere. Whether or not he was genuine in his apology still does not warrant the numerous racist tweets found on Harry Allen’s blog.
These outcries show how some white people respond to things like this. I doubt that half the people that made tweets found on Allen’s blog are actually racist, many of them probably have black friends; they just resorted to derogatory terms like nigger because they found it to be the most fitting way to express their anger towards West. I think that the people on twitter making these comments probably just thought that this was the most offensive route to take in an effort to fire back to West, so that is what they did. I am aware that a black person may disagree with me and say that anyone using the term nigger is racist, whether they mean it or not; but I do not think that these people can be labeled as racist just because they are using this term as a means of expressing their anger towards the rude actions of Kanye West.
When it’s all said and done, what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift was wrong and below the belt; a sweet girl like her does not deserve this uncalled for embarrassment. With that being said, Kanye West did not deserve the racist comments that ensued following his actions of the night of the VMA’s. West if wrong for what he did and the people making tweets and posts on Facebook are also wrong for what they did.
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I do not understand why people have such hate in them. This may be a Miss America moment but I always smile just incase someone is watching. Brightening up someone’s day is so much better than making someone feel bad about who they are. That is not to say that what Kanye did was right but all of those twitters were way beyond rude. I can honestly say that I did not think people used the N word anymore. Maybe that is just because I grew up in a small rural town where the total population of black people is two. When I was growing up my mother instilled in my head that two wrongs do not make a right. Just because Kanye West did something wrong (being rude) does not give all of these other people the right to do something wrong (being rude).
According to certain news and articles, Kanye had been drinking before the Video Music Awards. Then he went up and did something he probably would not have done if he was sober. All of us are Penn State students. We are one of the top ranked party schools in the country. We should understand that people do not act themselves when they are drinking. They often do stupid things that they most likely regret later the next day. Kanye should not have been drinking in these circumstances but nobody is perfect.
This event did not personally affect any one of those people who wrote nasty twitters. Yet so many people took the time out of their day to rip on someone. It was obviously a big deal to people. I say this because I have an internship at a prison and when I went into work the day after the VMA’s, the prisoners were all talking to me about what happened. I had not watched the VMA’s but I already knew about the incident because my roommate told me. The prisoners may have an excuse to be putting their nose into other people’s business because they have nothing else to do but as for everyone else, I think celebrities are not that interesting; at least not enough to waste my time ridiculing their mistakes.
The idea that Kanye did it because she was white and white people should stick up for her, is ridiculous. I do not find the need to stick up for a white person any more than I feel the need to stick up for someone of a different race. If anything I stick up for someone of a different race just because I see no point to racism. Despite everyone being integrated, people still seem to separate themselves. According to some people, it will always be this way but I think differently. Here is the Miss America comment coming out again. I think everyone should just get along. It would make things in this world so much easier. However, eliminating racism seems to be just as far out of an idea as world peace.
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I think that the whole Kanye West display was completely uncalled for. Not because he is Black, because he is a person who should respect another person, regardless of race. I personally believe that Taylor Swift is a very talented upcoming individual and should be recognized for inspiring so many of America’s youths as a role model. She has been highly successful at a very young age and this should be praised not punished. And just because Kayne West had too much to drink, doesn’t mean he had an excuse to embarrass her like that. What he did was a horrible thing as an individual. There are different ways he could have expressed his opinion. He could have used a website or at least waited until he was sober to decide what action to take, if any. Also, I think that it is important to see how people reacted to the event. Instead of getting down to the root of the problem, because Beyonce Knowles is Black, Kayne West is Black, and Taylor Swift is White, it is immediately assumed that race was the reason that Kayne believed Beyonce got “jipped” out of an award. Which is funny because she later won video of the year. Maybe they just wanted to not give similar awards to one artist. Is it really that big of a deal when there are so many more prestigious awards that Beyonce could and has won? Why is race the center of our assumptions? Why must that always be the focal point? It really isn’t right how people immediately assumed such profanities. What about genres of music? What about what the youth listens to and wants to see win? There are so many other issues that could have and should have been discussed. What I also don’t understand, is why people feel the need to fight fire with fire. It only makes a bigger problem. So why go on twitter and call Kayne West a “nigger”? There are several other ways to express your opinion. It’s the same issue that Kayne had, there are many other ways to express your anger and to be diplomatic about it. As we all know that word is associated with a very negative connotation, so why steep that low and use it? I can’t contemplate the reasoning behind this. Yes, maybe it was a racist comment towards Taylor Swift, but why sink down to that level. Is it just to make him feel bad? I’m sure he is getting enough shit from everyone around him. People, mostly White from Harry Allen’s blog, and fulfilling the racist theory. It’s like a never ending circle of pointing a finger at someone else. But I guess that is the way the world works, people find it extremely difficult to control themselves and be diplomatic. And that is just depressing.
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When Kanye West took the microphone from Taylor Swift, it was out of line, but he was simply just vocalizing his opinion. People have taken it way out of hand. I saw several of these racist comments popping up all over my Facebook homepage after this happened. I realize that Kanye was out of line by interrupting Taylor Swift’s award speech, but honestly it did not ruin anything for me. I’ll still listen to his music. Reading some of those Twitter comments that people posted were terrible and racist beyond belief. It’s sad really when you think about how racist people can be. I think it is okay if people are angry with Kanye about his actions, but they should never have brought race into the issue. His actions and opinions are his own and should never be reflective of an entire race. People’s comments on Twitter are despicable because several implied that every black person is similar to Kanye. I also found it incredibly interesting reading some of the Twitter comments stating the Kanye is a racist. I fail to see how he was racist when he took the microphone from Swift. He did not say anything racist, he just vocalized that he felt Beyonce’s video was better. That is all he said. I have no idea where Kanye being a racist comes into play.
What really disturbs me more than anything else about all of the Twitter comments, are the ones in which people are threatening harm to Kanye West. I realize he should have let Swift have her moment on stage, but people are really out of hand with saying that they want to kill Kanye West. I found several of the comments calling Kanye the n-word. One in particular that really bothered me was one post that said Kanye had another (n-word) moment last night. That is exactly why people are ignorant. I am white, but I have black friends and for those ignorant people out there, we are all the same. The only difference is the pigmentation of our skin. It’s so sad to see Kanye West’s use of bad judgment being used to make insults to black people. People really need to grow up and get a life. It is sickening knowing that there are people out there saying these racist comments, but I guess no matter how much we think our society is progressing, there will always be moments like these in which people show how they really feel toward other races. I did not watch the MTV VMA’s because I honestly do not care about it, but instantly I knew about it because it was everywhere. When I watched the video on YouTube, I just remember thinking to myself, “this is really what people are complaining about?” As I said before, all Kanye did was vocalize his opinion. It amazes me that people have turned this around to become a racial issue when it was really just Kanye West using poor judgment. People need to learn to keep race out of the issue and really just focus on the fact that it was a personal issue, not a racial one.
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I really didn’t want to feed into the madness that is of Kanye West and Taylor Swift, however, I just have to address the fact that some people are going over board. Yes he ruined this young girl’s experience of winning her first major music award but calling him a nigger is completely unacceptable and just plain racist. I will agree that Kanye West is extremely cocky and can be an asshole a lot of the times but it’s really upsetting to see these people make racist remarks about him in Harry Allen’s To The \“Real Haters\” or Old School Critique?” The “Real Haters” or Old School Critique?, especially since they all probably used to listen to his music. The word nigger is very offensive to me and should never be used by anyone. Kanye West has his own issues in which he needs to deal with. He was obviously drunk the entire night which probably caused him to make that bad decision. No this is not an excuse to justify what he did but damn, NIGGER though? I can understand if Kanye West went on stage and said “Taylor Swift, you are a cracker and I hate your music!” then in some ways these stupid ass racist remarks could be justified. However, he did not say that he expressed the fact that he enjoys Beyonces video better and he thought her video was better, and that’s it! So people should have just called him what he is, an asshole! He even apologized after the incident, or so I’ve heard, so what is the big deal, especially since Taylor accepted it, or so I’ve heard. Kanye’s actions cannot be justified but I can say he has not truly healed or really recognized the fact that his mother is dead and I believe it is taking a toll on him mentally. Maybe that is why he acts the way that he does. At the end of the day the dude needs help, and with all these people hating him he better get it fast! I hope he wouldn’t say anything else crazy because one of these crazy people might shoot his ass! I’m done writing about this subject because at the end of the day Kanye West is making millions and so is Taylor Swift! I’m not making any of that money and nor are those crazy twitter people so I don’t care anymore!
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I was extremely happy when I saw the article on the Race Relations Project website titled, “The “Real Haters” or Old School Critique?”. This is such an interesting posting to discuss because of how recent it is and because of how easily students can relate to the topic. First of all, it is beyond annoying how there are ignorant people, in this case white people, that have the nerve to immediately turn any incident into an object of race. The badly informed people out there that made disturbing comments for all to see using Twitter should be shunned from such public forums. There are incidents all over the world everyday between people of different races that do not stir up nearly the controversy that occurrences between white and black people stir up in the United States.
The only reason that I can understand why people posted the comments they did on Twitter about Kanye West is because of his history of making comments supporting reverse racism. A few years back when President George W. Bush was in office, West was quoted saying, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” in reference to the way Bush handled the rescue of Hurricane Katrina. I think to some people West saying what he said about President Bush and what he recently did to Taylor Swift took his antics over the top. However, I still don’t think it justifies what comments were made about West on Twitter.
This topic reminds me of the book we were assigned to read for Soc 119, Making Peace Between Our Colors. The book discusses how white people, as well as people of other races, need to understand opposing perspectives and find a common ground to be truly look beyond the generalizations people make of other races. The case of the racist comments made by people on Twitter about Kanye West is a prime example of a step in the wrong direction to creating peace. However, I think Harry Allen’s blog post is way too passionate in defending Kanye West and pointing the figure at the comments some white people made. He even makes as if he is surprised by the comments by referring to the Obama era as the “post-racial” age. In class, Professor Richards often refers to his teachings as what the vast majority agrees with. In think in the case of the racist comments made on Twitter, we can’t say that our nation is any more or less racist than how we were before the Kanye West incident. I think that in general, the level of racism hasn’t changed since what West did on the Video Music Awards. I believe that this is a case of a few people out of the millions using Twitter making irrational comments.
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Hello!
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I’m still seeing comments about the whole Kanye West incident. All I can say is that his actions were disrespectful, arrogant and mean when he interrupted Taylor Swift during her speech. I can believe this has become an issue of race, but it should not have to be. I do not believe that is the case at all. Truthfully, I believe all of this is about Mr. West’s alcohol consumption and the fact that he had way to much to drink before he took the stage.
Everyone has their problems, and these problems should be kept in confidence. When somebody “causes a scene” in a public place due to their problems, however, this becomes a public issue. We really need to look at why situations like this happen and what can we do to reduce the likelihood of these kinds of problems from happening again.
I am not saying that alcohol use is bad. I have a drink or two from time to time as well. I am saying that alcohol abuse and dependency appear to be on the rise, and that seems a little frightening to me.
Alcoholism has been a huge problem for many years. It is a constant problem that ruins lives as well as relationships. Alcohol use is more seen as “fun” or “cool”, than being seen as the cause of many dangerous and even deadly alcohol-related stories reported in the news. I believe this is predominately caused by the mentality of “Oh, well, it can’t happen to me.” It really can happen to anyone. It does happen.
This “glamorization” of alcohol use is dangerous to our society. We need to express that with alcohol use, there is a responsibility of moderation. I realize that there are organizations and citizens who are trying to emphasize this concept, however, we all need to address this.
Parents, school officials, community members all need to talk about these problems with children to give them more information, and thus, prepare those children to make intelligent decisions and weigh the “pros and cons” of drinking effectively.
Getting back to the original topic, I believe people are using the topic of race in this story to attempt to hide the awful truth that alcohol does have a negative impact on all…including celebrities. I do not believe Kanye West is a bad guy. I just think he has made some bad judgment calls in the past.
Since the incident, Mr. West has made an apology and I believe he is sincere about it. He has gotten a lot of flack from the media about how he behaved that night. Hopefully he recognized the consequences of this actions. Hopefully he will learn from his mistakes and practice moderation (at least before he attends anymore award shows).
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